28 Mar 2017

Lobelo Racing Club over the weekend hosted a pulsating first round of the Motor Holdings Botswana Motor Sport (BMS) motocross championship at the Dumela Track.
The event which has become a popular fixture for Francistowners did not disappoint and attracted high profile riders from across the country who lived up to expectations with their scintillating performances.
As an outdoor sporting activity, motocross has grown in leaps and bounds in the country’s second city judging by the increasing spectator numbers.
The weekend event was no exception. Boasting excellent spectator viewing points, the Dumela Track offers an uninhibited view of the riders as they take turns to go over the challenging terrain offered by the circuit.
The track here is comprised of both flat surfaces and hilly portions overlooking some man-made gorges which might give one a fright as to what could happen if a rider loses traction on the track, especially after a jump.
On Saturday, the practice sessions went perfectly well without any glitches, despite some minor falls for the juniors as riders tried to outdo each other as preparation for what would happen later in the day. Riders participated across all categories from the juniors’ PW 50, MX 50, MX 65, MX 85, MX 125, WMX, VMX MX2 and the MX1.
The most anticipated races were in the MX1 and MX2 which includes the senior and seasoned riders.
The bikes in this category are big and usually 250cc 2strokes and 450 cc 4 strokes. However, MX1 are realistically anything above 145cc and 251cc.
MX2 bike is a smaller adult bike capacity class, normally 125cc or 144cc and 250cc.
In the MX1 race, Ross Branch emerged victorious amassing 75 points, followed hot on the heels by D’artagnan Lobjoit with 66 points, Robert Pollock got 60 points, Brad Pieterse had 57 points while James Morris finished fifth with 54 points.
In the MX2 category Douglas Morris was the race winner having accumulated 75 points, position two went to Francois Jacobs with 66 points, third position was Tyler January with 59 points, Boineelo Rantao was fourth on 57 points, Mark Carr- Hartley came fifth with 53 points while Kagiso Stephens and Eberd van de Merwe shared the sixth position with 51 points apiece.
In the VMX, Brad Pieterse got position one, Owen Clulow was second, Wayne Berrie came third while Lepsy Mosope got position four.
MX 125 category was won by Brady Armstrong while Tefo Chibana came second. Kosmas Mamaloukos won the MX 85 division with 75 points while Seth Meyer took the MX 65 race with 75 points.
The MX 50 category was taken by Nathan Berrie while Tristan Berrie was victorious in the PW 50 followed by Deegan Davis.
Still in the PW 50 two girls competed with Elang Chibana coming first followed by Sandia van Rensburg and third came Harrison Berrie.
The weekend race also saw the racing of a three year old rider as part of efforts to encourage grassroots development of motocross.
Lobelo Racing Club secretary, Lola Berrie also rode in the female category, which took the number of female participants to three during the race.
The weekend race was sponsored by among others, Motor Holdings Francistown, UAE exchange, Adima Morokotso Loans, Skip Hire, Security Services, Haskins and One Stop Hire. ENDS